£149,946 for new National Lottery funded research project in Wales led by disabled people

19 January 2018

Barod Community Interest Company of Camarthen has been awarded £149,946 as part of a £5 million National Lottery funded research programme into independent living for disabled people.

'The Bridge: Changing
attitudes and communities by turning skills and experience into
earnings for self-advocacy organisations and self-advocates'
will benefit those who identify as people with learning
disabilities and who are members of self-advocacy
organisations.

The two year pilot project is led by Barod in collaboration with Social
Firms Wales and three self-advocacy organisations led by people
with learning disabilities: Carmarthenshire People First, My Life
My Choice, and People First Dorset. The project is about finding
solutions and specific routes into sustainable income generation
and employment for people with learning disabilities.

The project is aware of the Welsh Government's new national
strategy "Prosperity for All" for a more prosperous Wales and is
focusing on the low levels of employment of people with learning
difficulties and the increasing rate of closure of self-advocacy
organisations in England and Wales due to lack of funding.

This project will improve practices around employment support,
business support, procurement by all sectors and self-advocacy
organisations. It's been awarded funding from the DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and
Learning) programme, a five year scheme launched in 2015 led by
disabled people and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the largest
funder of community activity in the UK.

Managed by Barod, the project will be led by
disabled people or people with long term health conditions, who
will be working alongside academics and policy makers.

Rhian Davies, Chief Executive of Disability Wales said: "I am
delighted at Barod's success in securing funding following a highly
competitive second call for proposals. Their project is a welcome
addition to Wales' portfolio of four DRILL funded research
initiatives.

"Barod is a rare example of a company where people with learning
difficulties are co-directors and directly involved in running the
business. Their project will provide invaluable research regarding
how more people with learning difficulties and self-advocacy
organisations can earn their living and generate income by
utilising their considerable skills and experience."

Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning

Launched in 2015, the DRILL programme is fully funded by the Big
Lottery Fund and delivered by Disability Rights UK, Disability
Action Northern Ireland, Inclusion Scotland and Disability Wales.
DRILL is funding more than 30 research and pilot projects over a 5
year period, all led by disabled people.